Phyllis S. Busch Papers

Phyllis S. Busch was an American educator and writer of children’s books focusing on ecological topics. She was born in New York City on October 6, 1909 to parents Rafael and Gussie (Diamond) Schnell. In 1935, she married international lawyer Benjamin Busch, with whom she had two children, Frederick and Eric. She obtained a B.A. from Hunter College in 1931, and her M.A. (1957) and Ed.D. (1959) from New York University.

Busch was a biology instructor at various New York City high schools from 1931-1935 and then spent 1935-1958 as a teacher of general science and biology in one location, Abraham Lincoln High School (NYC). She also served as an associate professor: first at New York University (1959-1960) and later at Montclair State College (1960-1962). Additionally, Busch was the executive director of the Teachers Institute for the Development of Outdoor Science and Conservation Instruction (1965-1966), the director of S.P.R.U.C.E. (the federal Science Project Related to Upgrading Conservation Education, 1967-1969), the assistant director at the American Museum of Natural History (1931-1940), and a teacher in science programs at various institutions including Harvard University (summer 1959). Of course, Busch also headed many workshops and programs in order to promote environmental education at institutions such as Vassar College and the University of Connecticut. She was a member of organizations including the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, the National Wildlife Federation, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and many more. Her career as an author began in 1968 with the publication of her first children’s book, Lions in the Grass: The Story of the Dandelion, a Green Plant. She wrote and/or contributed to 18 other books, most of which were also aimed at a younger audience. Among these was Once There Was a Tree: The Story of the Tree, A Changing Home for Plants and Animals (1968), which like her first book, featured the photography of Arline Strong. Busch’s work was also featured in Science World, Science Education, Teaching Biologist, Jack and Jill, and Nature Study. Her Exploring As You Walk in the City (1972), What About VD? (1976), and Living Things That Poison, Itch, and Sting (1976) earned recognition as excellent science books from the National Science Teachers Association in their respective years of publication. She herself won an award of recognition from the Future Scientists of America in 1953, a Star Award from the National Science Teachers Association in 1956, and the 1974 American Nature Study Society’s Eva L. Gordon Award for her literary additions to the field of natural history.

Busch died on July 14, 1999 in Lakeville, Connecticut.



Sources: "Phyllis S. Busch." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Literature Resource Center. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.